WILLIAM GUMEDE | The lesson for South Africa is to pursue ‘Positive Peace’

Iceland has once again been named the most peaceful country in the world by the 2025 Global Peace Index. Ireland, New Zealand, Austria and Switzerland are in the top five.

The Global Peace Index is produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP). The index ranks 163 independent states and territories according to domestic stability, social harmony and economic prosperity. 

Not surprisingly, African countries are at the bottom of the world rankings when it comes to peacefulness. South Africa was ranked 124 out of 163 countries, among the 40 least-peaceful nations — with North Korea, Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Yemen and Afghanistan.

Mauritius, a multi-ethnic African democracy, with consistent high economic growth rates since the 1970s and now an upper-middle income country with a per capita income that now exceeds $10,000 (R177,681), is Africa’s most peaceful society.

What do the most peaceful countries do right? What is critical to secure country peacefulness, strengthen resilience and make nations thrive during periods of great uncertainty — which we are experiencing now — is for countries to have the elements of what the Global Peace Index researchers call “Positive Peace”.

“The key to building peacefulness in times of conflict and uncertainty is Positive Peace: the attitudes, institutions and structures that create and sustain peaceful societies,” said the report. “Positive Peace is strongly correlated with higher GDP growth, lower interest rates, societal wellbeing and more resilience to shocks.”

Generally, political parties of all ideological spectrums, all traditional, religious or regional communities in these peaceful societies adhere to these “Positive Peace” principles.

My interpretation of “Positive Peace” would include:

• low or no corruption;
• a culture of citizens being considerate to others in every aspect of life; and
• a society that follows rules — even when no one is looking.

These are deeply caring societies, with care going across colour, religion, political or ethnic divisions. These societies generally provide welfare to the vulnerable, combined with world-class education, including industry-relevant artisan skills.

Merit, fairness and the entrepreneurial spirit are deeply valued in these societies.

Public institutions are strong, meaning they are accountable, managed by capable people, appointed largely on merit and have staff that are conscientious, doing their work with a sense of duty and care. They are deeply democratic, civic-minded, consensus-seeking and collaboratively governed societies. These are pragmatic societies: decisions, policies are based on pragmatism, rather than fixed ideology, colour or political affiliations.

The ‘Positive Peace’ pillars of Iceland made it more resilient and secured a collective response to the devastating crisis with pragmatic, balanced and innovative policies using a collaborative approach — marshalling the talents, capacity and resources of the best in business, civil society and professionals. The country’s recovery has been dubbed an ‘economic miracle’

These societies value competence, honesty, broad-minded, personal accountability and humility in leaders, rather than violent, blame-shifting, narrow-minded or ideological fundamentalism. Leaders are generally expected to be self-aware, have a rounded sense of self and are civic-minded, meaning they consider how their actions impact those around them.

The quality of political leaders in these countries is generally higher than in less peaceful countries. Political leaders generally have had careers outside politics and the state before, and can return to their original careers after politics without needing any political or state patronage. This means political leaders in these countries are generally not in politics for financial survival — as is the case in most failing African and developing countries, including South Africa.

Furthermore, political leaders are generally not elected based on them calling for violence, for embracing fundamentalist ideologies, for fomenting hate against fellow citizens or while mired in corruption. Political leaders often easily take personal accountability for wrongdoing — and are held accountable by citizens and voters when they do wrong, are corrupt or incompetent.

Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson was professor of history at the University of Iceland, before he successfully ran for president in 2016. At a recent panel discussion on Iceland’s success at Cornell University in the US, Jóhannesson said: “Nationalism is a strong force in all societies, but our definition of nationalism has to be inclusive and tolerant and understanding.”

The Nordic country is governed regularly by coalitions, and not surprisingly, many of the most peaceful countries are too, including Ireland, Switzerland, Austria and Mauritius. Mature coalition government compel consensus decision-making which if genuinely taken in the widest public interest, produce better quality policies, wider societal embrace of decisions and policies and therefore more successful implementation of them.

Iceland’s centre-left Social Democratic Alliance is in a coalition government with the centrist People's Party and the left-leaning, pro-European Reform Party. At 36, Kristrún Frostadóttir, the leader of the Social Democratic Alliance, is the world’s youngest prime minister. She has master’s degree in economics from Boston University.

She has worked as a journalist for the business newspaper Viðskiptablaðið, was a specialist for Morgan Stanley, and an economist for the Icelandic Chamber of Commerce and the Kvika bank, before she entered politics. Her coalition is government is run entirely by women. Nearly 45 years ago, Iceland had the world’s first elected woman president.

According to the International Monetary Fund, the 2008 financial crisis devastated Iceland's economy to such an extent that the collapse of the country’s banking system, relative to the size of its economy, could be termed the largest banking failure in economic history. It became the first developed country to request assistance from the IMF in three decades. Its GDP plunged 65%.

The “Positive Peace” pillars of Iceland made it more resilient and secured a collective response to the devastating crisis with pragmatic, balanced and innovative policies using a collaborative approach — marshalling the talents, capacity and resources of the best in business, civil society and professionals. The country’s recovery has been dubbed an “economic miracle”.

Since then, Iceland has achieved high growth, low unemployment and an even distribution of income. The country has not only diversified its economy, from fishing, aluminium and tourism, it has beneficiated its resources by expanding its manufacturing base. It has also built new industries needed by the world, such as software, biotechnology. It has rapidly expanded green energy, and its cheap green energy has attracted global software companies.

Between 2010 to 2017, the number of tourists to the country increased by 400%, reaching 4.5 times the country’s population in 2016. The country combines a market economy with a welfare system and strong entrepreneurial spirit and world-competitive education.

South Africa is experiencing multiple crises, economic, social and democratic breakdown caused by corruption, incompetence and irrational policies by dominant ANC governments. US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs and cuts in development aid, combined with the disruptive impact of the rapid development of artificial intelligence and climate change, are compounding these existential crises.

The lesson for South Africa is to pursue “Positive Peace”. Democracy has to be deepened — not wrongly blamed for current crises.

Public institutions must become accountable, managed by capable people appointed largely on merit and staff that are conscientious, doing their work with a sense of duty and care. Cadre deployment to public institutions must end. Government policies, actions and decisions must be based on pragmatism, rather than fixed ideology, colour or political affiliations.

Ordinary citizens must also transform into “Positive Peace” mindsets, cultures and attitudes. Citizens must learn to value competence, honesty, broad-minded, personal accountability and humility in leaders, rather than violent, blame-shifting, narrow-minded or ideological fundamentalism. Citizens must also choose leaders that are self-aware, have a rounded sense of self, and be civic-minded, meaning they consider how their actions impact those around them.

Society must accept that in South Africa, one of the world’s most diverse societies, one colour, one party, one ideology — as many think — will not deliver broad-based prosperity, peace and happiness. It will only come through collaborations across colour, race, ideologies and political parties.

Citizens will have to choose more peaceful, well-rounded, self-aware and competent leaders. Citizens will have to choose political leaders who are not dependent on the state for their financial survival — leaders who have had careers outside politics and the state before, and who can return to their original careers after politics without needing any political or state patronage.

Finally, citizens must stop voting for political leaders who are calling for violence, who embracing “Great Truth” fundamentalist ideologies, who foment hate against fellow citizens communities or who are corrupt.

• William Gumede is Associate Professor, School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand and author of Restless Nation: Making Sense of Troubled Times.

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